


Sugar, Spice, and Things Not So Nice

by myusernamehere



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Party, F/M, Mistletoe, Secret Santa Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 19:31:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3145958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myusernamehere/pseuds/myusernamehere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Katniss Everdeen really wants is a kiss under the mistletoe. But her boss Haymitch Abernathy is determined to make her life a living nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sugar, Spice, and Things Not So Nice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for disnetis for the Fyeah-Everlark Secret Santa exchange on tumblr.

The shrill and incessant beeping of her alarm clock forced Katniss Everdeen from her peaceful slumber. In her sleep-induced haze, her hand reached for the offending item that was currently piercing her eardrums and fumbled around blindly until she found it. When she did, she slowly peeled one eye open, glanced at the blurry numbers on the clock, and immediately hit the snooze button. She settled comfortably into her previous position, draping her hand around her pillow. But just as she started slipping back into unconsciousness, a single thought blazed through her mind like a shooting star, and she bolted upright in a panic. 

Despite feeling a bit woozy, she rubbed her eyes and looked around her small studio apartment. There were clothing items haphazardly discarded on the floor as well as a sink full of dishes piled high. If her sister Prim were here now, she would surely be getting a lecture on personal hygiene and cleanliness, which in Prim's line of work was close to godliness. But she wasn't here now, most likely on her way to the hospital where she volunteered as a candy striper. Even though Prim was the younger of the two Everdeen sisters, she was always the wiser of the two in Katniss' eyes. At least, in a practical sense. 

Prim had inherited their mother's aptitude for knowledge, particularly in the field of medicine. She was also kind to a fault, a romantic at heart, and far more optimistic than she had any right to be given the circumstances she had been dealt at such a young age. Katniss on the other hand had inherited her father's inner strength, his fiery spirit that often manifested itself into complete stubbornness, and his capacity to deal with situations head-on, doing whatever was necessary to survive. 

Maybe Prim was more book smart whereas Katniss was more street smart. But however different the two of them were, even in the coloring of their hair and complexions, they complemented each other in more ways than one. Prim was the yin to Katniss' yang. And on days like today, when she woke up all alone in this tiny apartment and stared at four walls which she was positive were judging her, she missed her sister more than anything. 

Wasn't there a song about one being the loneliest number? Katniss Everdeen was definitely lonely. She had decided last year that she would move out of her father's old home, the place she had lived for the entirety of her life. He had been killed in an accident at the factory where he worked when she was a preteen, and Katniss' mother had gone into such a state of depression that she'd withdrawn from the world around her. 

Prim was so little at the time, unable to do much to care for herself. But Katniss resolved that neither she nor her sister would ever be taken from each other or put into any kind of orphanage or foster home situation. She was resourceful, and thanks to all of the things her father had taught her, she'd managed not only to keep them alive but also to keep up the façade that all was well in the Everdeen household. State social workers and counselors at school bought the act hook, line, and sinker. Except that in reality, all wasn't well. Not even a little bit. 

Sometimes there wasn't any food to eat or clothes to wear. They would go days at a time with barely a crumb to sustain them or fill their bellies. And sometimes the grief would catch up to Katniss, suffocating her like a hand wound tightly around her throat. On days like that, she wanted to give up. Sit in the corner just like her mother had and disappear from it all.

But she couldn't. She had Prim to care for. The two sisters were all each other had in this world, and she refused to back out of the promise she'd made to herself to protect her at all costs. Because she loved her sister more than anything. And somehow or another, they were going to make it.

And somehow or another they did. 

When their mother finally snapped out of her catatonic state and returned to a more normal version of herself, it was too late in Katniss' eyes. There was too much damage done to their relationship to ever be completely repaired.

But Prim forgave her pretty instantly, telling Katniss, "Grief is like a river; you have to let it flow. Each person’s current takes them to different places, and it's not for us to judge their course. But now that she's drifting back to land, we have to be her life rafts. We have to keep her anchored to the ground." 

Katniss had no idea where she had heard such a thing, perhaps in one of those books she loved to carry around so much. But as beautiful as the words and the sentiment was, and as much as she understood them on an intellectual level, Katniss had a hard time accepting it in her heart. Mrs. Everdeen had abandoned them when they needed their mother the most, and she didn't find forgiveness as easily as Prim. But then again, her sister had a lot more in common with her mother than Katniss did. For one, they looked like they came from the same gene pool. And Prim was much more interested in following her mother's line of work. She wanted to be a nurse someday as well. 

Katniss, on the other hand, had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. After high school ended, she attended a small community college. And from there, she drifted from one job to another. About a year ago, she finally got a job working as a secretary at a midsize accounting firm named Abernathy and Co. At this point in her life, Prim didn't need her anymore. Her mother certainly didn't need her. And she figured that at 21 years of age, it was probably time to move out of the nest. 

So she did, hoping it would be the start of a new adventure in life. In reality, it was a pretty lonely existence. She had exactly two friends, Gale and Madge. Because of life's circumstances, Katniss had a hard time trusting people and letting them in. She also wasn't the most social butterfly, and she never found it very easy to make friends. Gale had lost his father to the same factory accident that claimed her own, and they had bonded over the shared tragedy. 

Madge was the Mayor's daughter, and she and Katniss had almost nothing in common. Her family was obviously much more well-to-do than the Everdeen's. But they had been in all of the same classes since kindergarten, and she was fairly certain Madge had a crush on Gale. Many girls had a crush on Gale; he was tall, dark, and brooding. And he was angry about so many things, though she knew he was a good guy at heart. It was best not to engage him in a discussion about politics, though, because he would go into a tangent about all of the government's failures.

Madge had grown up in a political family, and Katniss suspected that side of him appealed to her, even if it was just to spite her father. While Katniss herself never had any romantic feelings for Gale, she did harbor a strange sense of entitlement when it came to him, like he belonged to her or something. Gale was hers, she was his, and that's all there was to it. So naturally, most of these girls annoyed her in a way that wasn't necessarily all that reasonable on the surface. 

But Madge was different. She had the bright idea of grabbing Gale's attention by befriending his best friend. And even though Katniss realized Madge's interest in her was superficial at best, at least in the beginning, she didn't have any other female friends. Begrudgingly, she went along with the ploy to win Gale's affection. And strangely enough, in the end, spending all that time together made them realize that they actually tolerated one another. Rather, they even liked each other.

These days, she rarely saw either of them. Gale worked full-time at the factory that claimed their fathers' lives, and Madge was in grad school. Without the company of her sister or her friends, or even the modicum of a social life, all Katniss really had these days was her job. And that job was slowly sucking the life out of her. It wasn't even that she hated what she was doing. It was her boss, one Haymitch Abernathy. He was an absolute nightmare on his best day. And on his worst, well… 

Her official job title was secretary, but it might as well have been "Abernathy's Personal Servant." The lines of what were required of her had blurred ages ago, and she had long since given up trying to understand him. He was a crotchety old drunk who worked her half to death on a meager salary that was basically only enough to pay for this tiny apartment. But she was too stubborn to quit; after all, she had endured much harsher realities as a child and survived. She could tolerate working incredibly long hours and acquiescing to his every whim, no matter how ridiculous or tiresome it might be. At least she had a roof over her head and food in her stomach. 

And today? Today was the company Christmas party. She wasn't even sure why he bothered to have one every year, as she was positive he hated Christmas as much as he hated people. But even the most miserable people on earth had to do things for show sometimes. And this was his shining spectacular. Of course, he had absolutely nothing to do with the planning or running of said party. All of that responsibility landed squarely on Katniss' shoulders, which is precisely why she was up at the crack of dawn, staring at a disheveled studio that she had no time or energy to keep clean.

Katniss Everdeen had a lot to get done this morning. 

After a very quick shower, she hobbled around the small studio, looking for an outfit to throw on. Fashion was never really her forte, and right now she was just looking for something presentable to wear. She picked up several blouses, sniffing them, before settling on a forest green shirt and some black slacks. Her long ebony locks hung loose and wet, and she had no time to dry her hair. So she placed it into a simple side braid that her mother had first showed her how to do when she was a very young girl. For some reason, it'd stuck with her. 

She wrapped herself in appropriate winter gear before grabbing a cup of coffee and running out the front door. Her first stop was the Mellark bakery, which was catering the event this evening. Mr. Mellark was an old friend (or, rather, an old admirer) of her mother's, and when she had stopped by the other day to grab a muffin on the way to work, the two of them had gotten to talking. 

Thankfully, his heinous wife was out of town because he was much friendlier in her absence. He offered to cater for the party, even giving her a fairly steep discount which she hoped would impress her boss (it didn't). Although he himself had to stay in the shop, he said he'd send his eldest son in his place to deliver the food and make sure everything ran smoothly. 

After a very pleasant exchange with Mr. Mellark regarding the last-minute details of the party, he offered her some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, which were delicious, and she was on her way once again. After meeting with the DJ and the floral company in charge of delivering the poinsettias, she headed over to the hospital where Prim volunteered. 

"Katniss!" her sister exclaimed when she saw her, her face lit up with a smile. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at work by now." 

"Well, usually I would be. But tonight is the company Christmas party, and I have a bunch of errands to run this morning so that everything is ready in time." 

"Oh, the Christmas party! That should be fun," Prim said earnestly, her blue eyes shining brightly. Katniss didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise, so she just agreed with a shake of her head. "But wait," Prim said after a moment. "That still doesn't explain why you're here." 

Every year, Haymitch Abernathy decided he needed to up the ante on his Christmas parties. Last year, there was the beautiful ice sculpture of an angel that made it about halfway through the party before it started to melt. This year, Abernathy had the brilliant idea to invite a sick child to the party, allowing all of his clients to see what a wonderful, philanthropic man he really was. He would even pay for the child's medical bills in full. 

When he told her about his plan, Katniss stared at him for a moment before asking, "And where are we supposed to get this sick child?" 

Abernathy waved his hand impatiently. "I don't know. Wherever they put them." 

"My sister volunteers at a hospital. I could ask and see if any–" 

"A hospital!" he exclaimed. "I knew I would come up with something." 

Katniss folded her hands and forced a polite smile on her face. "You always do, sir." 

"Find me the sickest kid there and invite them to our party," he told her. 

"The sickest kid there might not be able to leave the hospital," she pointed out. 

"Then find the sickest kid who _is_ able to leave the hospital. It's not rocket science, sweetheart. I'm sure even _you_ can handle that." 

As she recounted the tale to Prim, she left out most of the details, instead offering a much more pleasant version. "My boss wants to give a sick child the ultimate Christmas gift. Not only will they be attending the party this evening, but all of their medical bills will be paid for from now on." 

"That's wonderful, Katniss." 

"I'm here to make sure our special guest is feeling up to coming this evening." 

Prim nodded. "Do you know the name? I could bring you to his or her room." 

Katniss pulled out the piece of paper with the child's name on it, and when Prim saw it, she smiled. "Oh, she's one of my favorite patients. Right this way." After discussing the plan with the young girl, her parents, and her doctors, Prim walked Katniss toward the exit. "So, about this party…"

"Yes?" Katniss asked when her sister trailed off.

"Will there be any mistletoe?"

Her eyes sparkled mischievously at her question, but Katniss just frowned in response. "No, that's not on the agenda." 

"Well, why not?" 

"There's no point, that's why not." 

"Surely there's somebody you would like to kiss." 

To say that Katniss Everdeen was the purest of the pure would be an understatement. She'd been kissed precisely one time in her life, and that was several years ago. When they graduated from high school, she and Gale attended a bonfire where they got pretty drunk. For whatever reason, probably due to the liquor, he kissed her. 

She remembered thinking at the time that it wasn't half bad. Maybe Gale wanted to be more than just her friend. But then the next day, he acted as if the whole thing never happened. She was too mortified to ask if he just forgot or if she was so terrible at it that he wanted to pretend it never happened. And that was the last time anybody's lips had ever touched her own. 

"There's nobody," Katniss insisted. 

But that was a lie. And she was pretty sure Prim knew it was a lie, too. His name was Darius, and he was one of the accounting clerks at the firm. His red hair was often tousled, and he had a boyishly handsome face despite the fact that he was several years older than her. But he was very charming and smart, and Katniss had developed a crush on him a while ago. They'd barely even said more than two words to each other during the course of her employment there though, and Katniss wasn't even sure if he knew she existed. There was no way he was going to kiss her, even if it was Christmas. 

"The thing about mistletoe," Prim said, "is that, should two people happen to find themselves underneath it at the same time, custom states that the two must kiss, even if they aren't a couple." Then with a cheeky grin, she added, "I guess it's too bad there won't be any at the party then." 

"Yeah," Katniss said, chewing on the side of her cheek while she digested Prim's not-so-subtle hint. "It's too bad." 

After saying goodbye to her sister, she stared at her cell phone for a while. Finally, she muttered under her breath and called back the floral company, requesting that they add some mistletoe to the order. All she had to do was get Darius to stand under it at the same time as her, after all. How hard could that possibly be? 

When she finally staggered into work a bit later, she'd barely even taken off her coat when a gruff voice called out, "Everdeen! Get in here."

She sighed quietly, made sure she looked presentable, and walked into Haymitch Abernathy's office. "Good morning, sir." 

Without bothering to greet her, he barked, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

She looked at the clock on the wall behind him. "It's a little after–"

"You're late, sweetheart." That was his favorite term of endearment for her, always said in a condescending tone. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that he wanted to belittle her at every corner or that he simply could not remember her first name despite the fact that she'd been his secretary for a year. It was probably a combination of both. "I had to get my own coffee this morning. And I've had to answer the phones for the last half-hour as well. Do you know what kind of inconvenience that is?"

She could smell the alcohol on his breath, which he had certainly poured into his coffee cup. Nobody else was even in the office yet, just the two of them. The phone might have rung once or twice all morning, since they weren't officially open. 

But instead of pointing out that fact, Katniss simply said, "I'm sorry sir. I had to run a bunch of errands this morning in regards to the company Christmas party. Everything seems to be going smoothly, though. I think this will be our best one yet."

Abernathy stared at her as though she had spoken in a foreign tongue. "That's today? Crap. I thought we had at least another week until we had to deal with that nonsense." 

"Well, Christmas is in a couple of days, sir." He frowned and huffed under his breath for a bit, cursing to himself about what a useless holiday Christmas was. Katniss waited until he finished his small tangent and then delicately added, "And you'll be happy to know that I've found a very sick little girl to join us this evening." 

"Just keep her away from me," Abernathy grumbled. "I don't want to catch whatever it is she might have."

Katniss pursed her lips. "Of course."

"Now get back to work," he ordered. "And don't be late again."

It wasn't like Katniss expected him to say thank you for all of her hard work or anything even remotely close to that, but some show of appreciation would have been nice. Haymitch Abernathy didn't know the first thing about being nice, though. Not even during the holidays. So she just bowed her head to him and said, "Yes, sir." 

Thankfully, the morning flew by quickly, as Abernathy threw everything he could think of in her direction: respond to emails, reorganize the filing cabinets, finish writing and mailing his Christmas cards, drop by the post office to have them shipped overnight delivery, pick up his dry cleaning, order his lunch, fax a bunch of papers, make another pot of coffee, answer the phones, respond to more emails, etc. By the time the floral company arrived with the poinsettias and the mistletoe, she was ready to sigh in relief. 

As she carefully considered where to place the mistletoe, she looked over in the direction of Darius' office. She'd seen him come in earlier looking particularly handsome. He was wearing a sharply fitted suit and a holiday themed tie that brought out the color in his eyes. Where was the perfect place to hang the mistletoe, she wondered? The entrance to the offices? The entrance to the break room? Over by the fax machines? She decided to go with the break room because that seemed to be the best option. Most employees would be trafficking in and out of there this evening. 

As she grabbed a chair and stood on it to hang the mistletoe, she heard, "Everdeen, what the hell are you doing?"

The voice over her shoulder belonged to Abernathy, of course. She turned very carefully to meet his eye. "I'm hanging the mistletoe, sir."

"Who said anything about mistletoe?" 

"It's a Christmas tradition, sir. I just thought it would be fun for everyone." 

He snorted bitterly. "Well, just hurry up and do it already. The last thing I need is for you to fall off the chair and end up involving me in some frivolous lawsuit." 

"Yes, sir."

"And get me some more coffee when you're done." 

She nodded as she hung the mistletoe, then stepped down and walked over to the coffee pot. As she was watching it brew, she felt somebody slide up beside her. "So are you ready for the Christmas party or what?" 

When she turned and looked into a pair of eyes that often haunted her dreams, her voice became lodged in her throat.

_Darius!_ her brain screamed at her. _Darius is talking to you! Say something._

"I uh… Yeah. It should be fun," she offered lamely. But before she had time to say anything else, one of the clerks popped his head into the room to tell her that the DJ was looking for her. Of course he was. "I have to go take care of this thing," she pointed behind her. "But I will look for you later?" she offered hopefully.

He smiled at her, and her stomach twisted into a knot. "Later, yeah."

Katniss soon became too busy to even think about Darius or mistletoe. After the DJ arrived, the eldest Mellark son came with all of the food, and she helped him set everything up. Then he told her that his father had double-booked two different parties by mistake, so he had to leave to attend to the other one.

"But don't worry. My brother is on his way," he assured her.

She thanked him before making a call over to the hospital. Their young guest star for the evening had fallen particularly ill that afternoon and was no longer able to attend the party. When she told Abernathy the news, he slammed his hand onto his desk and said, "Dammit, Everdeen. I knew you were going to screw this one up!"

"I'm sorry, sir. That's the risk you take when you want a very sick child–"

"What's that, sweetheart? I know you're not implying that my philanthropic gesture is a bad idea, especially when I'm just trying to show this community how much I care about those who are less fortunate than me," he said. 

"No, sir. Of course I'm not implying that." 

"Get me another sick kid." 

"There may not be enough time for that, sir." 

"I don't care how you do it. Just get me one!" he demanded. 

"Very well."

Katniss practically stomped over to her desk, grabbed her things, and charged out the front door. When she arrived at the hospital, things were pretty chaotic. Apparently, a small fire had broken out at one of the local diners, and there were burn victims flooding the ER. Even her sister had her hands full. 

"I'm sorry, Katniss. There's just too much going on right now. I wish I could help you," Prim told her. 

Katniss sighed in frustration as she trudged her way through town, inhaling the cold, bitter air. As she tried to come up with a solution to her problem, she found herself over by Gale's neck of the woods. His mother Hazelle opened the door with a warm smile when she recognized Katniss on the other side.

"Katniss! What a wonderful surprise. What are you doing here?" 

"I was just walking by, actually. Is Gale here by any chance?" 

"No, he's still at the factory. And I believe he has plans with Madge tonight."

_Well, of course,_ Katniss thought to herself dourly.

"It's terribly chilly out there. Would you like to come in and drink some tea?" 

She really didn't have time to stop and sip tea, but when she heard the familiar laughter of Gale's youngest sister Posy in the background, she suddenly had an idea. A little more than a half hour later, she was dragging little Posy and Hazelle into the accounting firm where she worked.

"Now, remember," she told Posy. "You're very sick." 

"And what do I have again?" she asked.

"You have… sickle cell anemia." Katniss didn't know where that came from. Maybe she saw it in one of her sister's medical books. And she hated having to lie. Asking an otherwise healthy child to pretend to be very sick was probably an awful thing to do, but her hands were tied. And she would certainly lose her job if she didn't find somebody to fill the role. "If anybody asks, just pretend you're too distraught to talk about it."

Posy shrugged. "Okay."

"Thank you for agreeing to do this for me, Mrs. Hawthorne," Katniss told Hazelle. 

"You're practically family, Katniss. We're happy to help you out." 

When they returned to the offices, the Christmas party was in full swing. Couples and colleagues were gathered around, listening to the Christmas music that filtered out of the DJ booth and munching on various treats from the bakery. She walked over to Abernathy's office to tell him she found another sick child, but he was engrossed in a very heated telephone conversation, so he just waved her off.

Turning to Posy and Hazelle, she said, "Why don't you guys get some food? I have to go make the rounds." They nodded, and Katniss plastered the biggest smile to her face that she could muster, working her way through the crowd.

After speaking with several of their important clients, Abernathy pulled her aside. "So where's my sick kid?"

Katniss pointed in the direction of Posy.

"And exactly how sick is she?"

"Quite sick, sir. She has sickle cell anemia." 

He eyed Katniss carefully. "What's that? Is it contagious?"

"No, it's not contagious. Her body doesn't produce enough red blood cells, which causes her chronic pain and fatigue."

"Good. As long as she doesn't cough on me during the photo ops," he said. 

"It's not that kind of illness, sir."

He waved her off flippantly and then said, "I have a list of things I need you to get done. So head back to your desk and–" 

"But sir, the party…"

"Did I say you could interrupt me?" She shook her head. "Now do as you're told and stop giving me lip. I don't know why I even put up with you half the time. You're completely replaceable."

Katniss winced a bit at his words. "Yes, sir."

She started shuffling back through the crowd before practically slamming into a girl in front of her. "Hey, brainless. Watch it!" the girl bellowed.

She looked up into a pair of wide-set brown eyes. Johanna Mason was one of the new accounting clerks around here. She was from out of town, and for some reason, she'd had it out for Katniss since she'd arrived. Maybe it was because they were two of the only females that worked here, or maybe it was just because she was a bona fide bitch. Either way, the two of them were anything but friends.

"Sorry," Katniss mumbled, not really in the mood to deal with this girl. But when Darius walked up to Johanna and wrapped his arm around her with a familiarity that suggested the two of them were a couple, Katniss felt like she was going to be sick.

"Hey guys," Darius smiled at the two of them. "What's going on?" 

Before Katniss could even find her voice, Johanna plastered a sickeningly sweet smile to her face and said, "I think she was in a hurry and accidentally walked into me. But it's okay, she didn't mean it. Are you enjoying the party, Katniss?" 

Katniss wanted to smack that smile right off of her face. "Sure. And you guys?"

"It's a great party," Darius told her sincerely. "You did a great job planning it." 

She could feel her cheeks burning when she said, "Thank you."

"Yeah, the food is delicious," Johanna added. Then to Darius, she'd teasingly smacked his arm and said, "Babe, you promised me a kiss under the mistletoe." 

"I know, I know," he smiled at her. "We're gonna go mingle some more. But enjoy the rest of your night," he told Katniss.

"Yeah, you too." 

As she watched the two of them walk away from her toward the general direction of the break room, she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Of course a guy as wonderful as Darius would have a girlfriend. She had no idea why she had let Prim convince her to get that stupid mistletoe. Nobody wanted to kiss her, least of all Darius. And now she had gotten her hopes up for nothing. As she stomped back to her desk with anger, she decided this was the worst Christmas party ever. 

Stupid Christmas songs. Stupid Christmas cookies. Stupid mistletoe.

_Stupid stupid stupid._

When the words on the document began to blur in front of her eyes, Katniss decided to take a break from her work. She grabbed a bottle of wine that had yet to be opened and wandered over to a deserted area of the office, sinking down into a chair. She stared at the crowd in front of her who were having a grand old time thanks to all of her hard work. Posy was working the room with her charm. Even Abernathy seemed to be in good spirits as he danced with the wife of one of their top clients. 

Katniss pursed her lips around the bottle in her hand and took a large gulp of the wine, hoping to numb some of her feelings. When she had swallowed a large portion of the liquor and her brain was starting to feel a bit fuzzy, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gale's number.

"Katniss, hey. I'm kind of in the middle of something here," he greeted her. "But I hope you're having fun at the Christmas party."

"I'm not," she said bitterly. And then, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked with confusion.

"Kiss me that time at the bonfire." 

"Um…"

"You kissed me and then acted like it never happened. Why? Was I really that awful at it?"

He was quiet on his line for a moment before saying, "No. You weren't awful at it at all. If anything, it was the opposite of that. Is that what you've thought all these years?" 

"What else was I supposed to think?"

"Well, you never said anything either, so I just thought maybe you didn't remember. We were pretty drunk. And to be honest, I was a little embarrassed. You're my best friend, Katniss. I didn't want things to be awkward between us."

"I'm not trying to make things awkward. I know you're there with Madge right now, and I'm happy for you guys. I just…" she sighed. "Sometimes it feels like I'll be alone forever."

"You won't be alone forever," he insisted. "Any guy would be lucky to have you, including me." 

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she dismissed. 

"No, I mean it," he said. "You are so much more than you give yourself credit for. One day, some lucky SOB is going to realize that. And when he does, I'll be the first to shake his hand."

A small smile played on her lips. "Thanks, Gale."

"You're welcome. I have to go, but I promise we'll talk about this more later."

"Okay," she agreed. "Say hi to Madge for me."

"I will."

When they disconnected the call, she took another sip of her wine. Then she heard, "Cheese bun?"

She looked to her left, her eyes trying to focus on the individual standing beside her. He had familiar blue eyes that seemed as vast as the ocean and wavy blonde hair. "I know you," she murmured. 

"Well, I hope so. We did go to school together for some 13 years." 

"You're Peeta Mellark, the baker's youngest son." 

"And you're Katniss Everdeen, the girl who organized this party but doesn't seem to be having any fun at it." She frowned at his words. "Can I sit?" he indicated to the chair next to her.

She shrugged. "Free country." 

He sat down, making himself comfortable. Then he offered the tray in his hand toward her again. "You should have one of these. I made them myself. And cheese makes everything better." 

"How do you know I need anything made better?"

"You're sitting by yourself with a bottle of wine in your hand," he stated the obvious. 

"Oh."

"Want to talk about it?"

She shrugged again. 

"Then eat. Your stomach will thank me." 

He was pretty damn insistent about these cheese buns, so she finally grabbed one and bit into it. When she did, she practically groaned at the taste. 

"Told you." She stuffed a few more into her mouth, savoring the flavor. When she swallowed, she took one more sip of her wine before offering Peeta the bottle. "I'm good, thanks," he declined.

After another moment of silence, she turned to him and asked, "If we went to school together for 13 years, how come this is the first time you've ever talked to me?"

"You've never talked to me either," he pointed out. 

It was true; she hadn't. But both of them knew this wasn't their first encounter outside of school either. After her father had died, and she was desperately hungry, Katniss had wandered through town looking for scraps of food. She'd even gone looking through the garbage pails outside of various businesses, including the Mellark bakery. Peeta's mother had seen her and told her to get lost, but then Peeta himself had caught her eye. He'd burned several pieces of bread on purpose so he'd have to toss them out, throwing the loaves in her direction. His act of kindness had earned him a black eye from his mother, which he told everybody he got from wrestling with his brothers.

Katniss had seen him the next day at school, but she was too embarrassed and prideful to go up and thank him for it. And Peeta never brought it up either, especially since she was trying to keep up appearances. But she'd never ever forgotten about what he'd done for her, that boy with the bread. It was too bad they never spoke after that. 

"Thank you, you know, for that day. I know you got in trouble for it." 

"It's fine. Any decent person would have done the same thing."

"There's not as many decent people as you think," she told him.

"I think it's the opposite," he disagreed. "There are more decent people than you think." 

"That sounds like something my sister Prim would say." 

"Your sister Prim is obviously a very smart girl."

She smiled gently at that. "She is."

Peeta grabbed one of the cheese buns and popped it into his mouth. "So why are you sitting here all by yourself?" Katniss just shrugged in response again. "Not ready to talk about it yet. Okay, new conversation topic. I asked my father to send me here tonight instead of my brother."

She raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I knew you would be here." She continued to stare at him, not sure how to respond to that. So he added, "I saw you at the bakery this morning, but you were already on your way out." 

"I don't understand why you would care whether you saw me or not." 

He looked like he was contemplating how he should respond to that. Finally, he said, "Hey, do you want to go for a walk?" 

His question caught her off guard, and even though she loved the idea of escaping the party, she knew she couldn't do it. "I can't. My boss would kill me."

"Haymitch?" Peeta spoke his first name as though the two of them were friendly. "He's not so bad."

Katniss frowned at his remark. Clearly he did not know Abernathy very well. "No, that's where you're wrong. He's awful. More than awful. As awful as a person can be."

Peeta twisted his lips in thought. "My father knew him before it happened. He told me he was a pretty stand up guy then, a family man. But after, he threw himself into his work and, eventually, the liquor. It's his way of coping with the pain, I think, by lashing out at people. But beneath the hard exterior, there's just a man who's hurting. This time of year must be incredibly hard on him." 

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Katniss asked, "What are you talking about? Before what happened?" 

"You don't know?" 

She shook her head. 

Grabbing another cheese bun, he said, "His whole family was killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve. It happened a long time ago, but he still feels responsible for it, I think. Because they were on their way to surprise him and slipped on a large patch of ice…" 

Katniss was stunned by the words coming out of Peeta's mouth. Haymitch Abernathy had a family? And not only that, but they were killed in a car accident years ago?

"A wife and two daughters," Peeta answered the unspoken question in her eyes. 

"I had no idea," she murmured softly.

"Yeah, I guess he doesn't talk about it."

Katniss couldn't imagine what the pain of losing one's whole family must be like. She essentially lost both of her parents after her father's death, and that was unbearably difficult to endure. But how would she feel if everyone she loved had been killed at the same time? If Prim had been lost on that fateful day as well. Or Gale. She couldn't even fathom the idea. And she didn't have children, but just imagining it made her sad. Having to bury a life that you've literally helped create from your own flesh and blood must be the hardest thing ever.

Suddenly, Prim's voice echoed in the back of her mind, something about grief and rivers and letting it flow. This was Abernathy's course, and he hadn't found his way back yet. No wonder he hated Christmas so much. No wonder he hated everything. Maybe he just needed an anchor. 

Grabbing Peeta's hand, she said, "You know what? Let's go for that walk." 

As they stepped outside, Katniss inhaled the frosty air into her lungs. Anything was better than the stale air she'd been breathing in for the last several hours. The cold helped her brain thaw a bit as the two enjoyed a comfortable silence, walking along a cobblestone path that was brilliantly lit up with glittering lights. 

Katniss glanced at Peeta, noticing his rosy cheeks and the blonde curls sticking out of his grey beanie. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and his broad shoulders were hunched as he attempted to keep warm. She never really paid attention before, but he was a handsome guy. She remembered that he was on the wrestling team at school, and he looked strong if not exceptionally tall. His biceps bulged beneath his jacket, and she figured he probably had a solid embrace. In fact, his arms would likely feel very nice wrapped around her small frame. 

Not understanding where that thought came from, Katniss decided to break the easy silence between them. "So what did you mean earlier?"

Turning toward her, he queried, "In regards to…?"

"You asked your father to send you to the party because you knew I would be there. But why did you want to see me?" 

He sucked in a breath, and Katniss' eyes drooped until they landed upon his lips. She watched as his tongue snaked out to moisten them, and then a hot wisp of air left his mouth and curled into the night. 

"You haven't figured it out yet?" he wondered. 

"Figured out what?" she answered distractedly, still staring at his lips. They just looked so soft, and she wondered if they felt that way, too. 

"That I've had a crush on you since kindergarten." 

Her eyes shot up at his words, pupils dilating. She studied his face carefully, assuming he was playing some sort of twisted prank on her. But his eyes were kind and seemed completely serious. Still, she had a hard time digesting that information. "You haven't," she protested.

"I have." 

"But… but," she stammered with incredulity. Nobody had ever had a crush on her before, at least that she was aware of. "You never said anything." 

"I wanted to," he insisted. "Believe me, it's all I've thought about saying for years." 

"Why now?" 

"You've had a bit to drink. I figure, if it all goes south, there's a chance you won't even remember this in the morning," he joked. But Katniss didn't laugh. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Because it's Christmas, and you should be honest with those you care about on Christmas. That's what I've heard, anyway. And besides, I figured it's about time I finally got up the nerve to do it."

"Is that why you did it? Risked a black eye for me?"

"No." He shrugged. "I mean, yes. That might have been part of the reason. But I meant what I said earlier. You were starving. It was the decent thing to do." 

Katniss shook her head. "I'm not anything special, Peeta. I'm sorry you've wasted so much time having a crush on me."

"I'm not," he insisted. "And you have no idea, do you?" 

"No idea about what?" 

"You're _everything_ , Katniss. Beautiful, brave, strong. Even the birds stop and listen when you sing. Gale was right. You're so much more than you give yourself credit for." She gave him a funny look, and he said, "I was eavesdropping a little. Sorry."

Katniss had no idea how to even begin to respond to something like that. She must have opened her mouth and closed it about a dozen different times because no words seemed able to convey what she was feeling. Finally, she said, "I have to do something." 

Peeta watched with confusion as she pushed her way into the store behind him. She found exactly what she was looking for, and when she gave it to the cashier, she asked him if he could giftwrap it for her. Then, dragging Peeta by the hand, she made her way back to Abernathy and Co.

Abernathy was in his office nursing a drink when she stepped into it, cheeks flushed. He took one look at her and frowned. "Where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" 

Katniss smiled at him affectionately as Peeta stood in the doorway of his office. Then she placed the giftwrapped item onto his desk. "Merry Christmas, sir." 

Abernathy looked at her with confusion, then looked to Peeta, and then finally looked at the object on his desk. "What is this?"

"I bought you a gift." When he continued to stare at it like it was a bomb getting ready to detonate, she encouraged, "Go ahead. Open it."

Clearing his throat, Abernathy put down his drink. Then he carefully unwrapped the present. Staring back at him was a silver picture frame. Inside the frame was a black and white photograph of a model family hugging and laughing: a husband, wife, and two daughters. He held the frame in his hand, staring at it quietly.

When he didn't say anything, Katniss explained, "I know it's not your real family. Nothing could ever replace them. And I'm not suggesting that this would even come close to filling the void in your heart. But a picture frame is a place where you keep the memories of your loved ones. And I thought that maybe, if you put this by your bedside, you could imagine your own family just like that: _happy_. Maybe then you wouldn't be so lonely anymore." 

"That is…" He shook his head before grabbing his drink. After throwing back the rest of it, he finished, "the dumbest thing I've ever heard." 

Katniss frowned at his words.

"This is what I pay you for?" he held up the frame. "Sweetheart, let me tell you something. And listen very carefully because you know how much I hate repeating myself. A stock photo of some family that's supposed to resemble my own is exactly the kind of gift I would expect from you, a spoiled little girl who doesn't know anything. You don't like me. You think I don't know that? I know that. I actually make you work for a living, and you resent me for it. Well, boo-hoo. Welcome to the real world." 

When Katniss opened her mouth, Abernathy held up his hand. "Save it. The last thing I want or need is some empty words to go along with this empty thought. I actually tried giving you the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe you might finally impress me. But all you've managed to do is prove to me that you're just as hollow as this picture frame. Do you even know what it's like to lose somebody? I should fire you just for wasting my time." He dumped the frame into the trash. 

Katniss felt like she'd been punched in the gut, her eyes lining with tears. 

"And now you're going to start crying. Perfect." Opening his bottle of bourbon, he poured himself another drink.

"I actually defended you." Abernathy looked up at Peeta with a bored expression on his face. "You should apologize to her." 

"Peeta," Katniss shook her head. 

"I will do no such thing." 

" _Apologize_ to her," Peeta demanded, his hand smacking the desk. 

Katniss grabbed his coat sleeve, pulling him toward the doorway with her. "Come on. He's not worth it," she said sadly. 

"Yes, run off with your little boyfriend there. Don't even bother sticking up for yourself. You never do," Abernathy taunted, taking another sip of his drink.

Katniss stopped dead in her tracks. Then she turned on her heel, nostrils flaring. "You want me to stick up for myself? Fine. I'll stick up for myself. There's no need to fire me because I quit." 

Abernathy rolled his eyes as he sunk down into his chair. "Shocker." 

She started to walk away but then turned back around. "And another thing… I _do_ know what it's like to lose somebody. My father died in a factory accident when I was 11. My mother was so distraught by his death that she disappeared inside herself and didn't come out for years. She might as well have died right along with him. I had a younger sister to take care of, and I didn't want them to separate us, so I never told anyone. We had no food, and we had no money. We were _starving_. But we survived. Because I _refused_ to let us die."

She pointed to herself. "Me. Nobody helped me with that. So I do know suffering, and I know how to work. The only reason I didn't quit this job a long time ago was because I actually liked having a roof over my head and food in my stomach." 

Both Peeta and Haymitch watched her carefully as she continued her impassioned speech.

"You know, when I heard about the tragedy with your family, I actually felt sorry for you. But even worse than that, I finally felt like we had something in common. That we could understand each other due to our grievances and maybe even forge some kind of, I don't know… friendship. Or at least a functioning business relationship. But I was crazy to think that. You're incapable of forming any kind of relationship with anyone, aren't you? You know what I've learned about the real world? People die. They die, and the world keeps spinning. Because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter whether you've lost the people you love or not. All you can do is mourn their life then build a bridge and get the _fuck_ over it already." 

Peeta reached for Katniss, but she shrugged away from his touch. 

"I miss my father every single day of my life. But I've _never_ used his death as an excuse to be miserable to other people. Because that's precisely what you are, Haymitch Abernathy. A miserable human being. But I think you like being that way, stuck in your misery. It's a crutch so that you don't have to deal with your actual feelings or any other person's feelings either. So if that's what you want to be, miserable for the rest of your life, then so be it. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. You were right about one thing, though: I am completely replaceable. But I'd rather be that than be you any day. At least I can live with myself." 

With her closing words, Katniss stomped away from Abernathy's office toward her desk. Peeta was right on her heels. He watched her gather all of her things with a heavy heart. "Katniss, I'm so sorry." 

"It's fine," she muttered, angrily wiping at a single tear that rolled down her cheek.

"But it's not fine. I really thought he was different." 

"I just want to forget about all of this. I should have quit a long time ago," she said as she cleared her desk of items she didn't need any more, tossing them into the trash.

After a brief moment, the two of them heard the sound of clapping behind them. With confusion, Katniss turned around to see Abernathy standing there with a triumphant grin on his face. 

"Nice job, sweetheart." 

"What on earth are you talking about now?" Katniss asked impatiently, throwing another crumpled up piece of paper into the trash. 

"You finally did it," he told her. "After a year of 'Yes, sir' this and 'No, sir' that, complying to my every request no matter how absurd or banal, you've finally shown yourself to be the girl I knew you were capable of being all along. So congratulations on finding your balls." 

Katniss stared at the man in front of her with complete confusion. " _What?_ " 

Abernathy reached into his pant pocket, pulling out his wallet. When he found the picture he was looking for, he walked up to Katniss and showed her. "This is my family," he told her. "My wife Juniper and my daughters Lily and Sienna. Sienna is the oldest, and she reminds me so much of you. Not just in the way she looks but also the fire inside of her that I saw the first time I interviewed you. Maybe that's why I singled you out so much, I don't know." 

He shook his head as Katniss swallowed slowly, unsure what to make of his words. "I was working on Christmas Eve the day of the accident. I was supposed to be home with my family, but I wasn't of course. I was always working. So they decided to come visit me instead, and that's when they slipped on the large patch of ice, crashing into another vehicle in front of them. They were killed upon impact, at least that's what they told me. I'd like to think they didn't suffer." 

She saw him get lost inside his memories for a moment before continuing. "First there was denial, then came the guilt, and finally the anger. You're right about me. I'm a miserable human being. But I've been too scared to get close to anyone else because there's always the fear of losing them, too."

Katniss was at a loss for words as Abernathy confessed all these things to her. 

"Maybe I do like being miserable. Maybe I do use it as a crutch to keep people at arm’s length. I've been doing it for so long that I don't even know what other way to be anymore. But the day you walked into my office, I thought maybe things would be different. _You_ would be different. All of my other secretaries have been the same, and I was counting on you to call me on my bullshit and pull me out of this funk I've been trapped in." 

Sticking the picture back into his wallet, he said, "But you didn't. You were like all the others, and that made me so angry. I was waiting to see what it would take to finally get you to crack. And I guess mentioning your father was the thing to do it. I knew him once. He was a good guy, and I'm sorry for your loss." 

When Katniss finally found her voice, it was choked with emotion. "You knew my father?" 

"I didn't know him that well, but we did see each other around town occasionally. I know he would be proud of you, though. Proud of the way you've survived. And proud of the way you stuck up for yourself today, telling an old drunk like myself exactly what you thought of me. That took guts." 

Tears pricked at her eyes again, but these were tears of happiness rather than frustration. "Thank you for saying that," she said softly.

"No, thank _you_ for saying what you did." Then he pulled the picture frame out of his other pocket. "I don't need a picture frame with a fake family in it. But I would like to have a picture of the two of us if that's okay with you."

Her mouth gaped open, and Peeta stepped up to them. "I would be happy to take the picture for you." 

"Thank you, Peeta," Abernathy smiled at him good-naturedly, pulling out his cell phone. Then turning to Katniss, he opened his arms and said, "Care to humor your miserable, son of a bitch boss on Christmas?"

Katniss wiped at her eyes again and straightened out her shirt. Then she carefully stepped into Abernathy's embrace, floored by the idea that this was even happening. He squeezed her affectionately, and when Peeta told them to smile, she offered a truly genuine one that reached her eyes.

After showing them the picture, Peeta asked, "You guys like it?" 

She studied the picture carefully, imagining that Haymitch Abernathy was an old family friend instead of her boss. She didn't have too many friends in this world, but maybe this was the start of something truly special. 

"It's perfect," Abernathy said, taking back his phone. "Well, I've taken up enough of your time. Why don't you two go enjoy the rest of the Christmas party?" 

"Thank you, sir," Katniss said out of habit before flinching a bit. 

Abernathy chuckled. "Please, call me Haymitch," he insisted.

"Thank you Haymitch," she amended. 

When he wandered back over to his office, Peeta said, "See. I told you he wasn't such a bad guy." 

Katniss shot him a look, and he just held up his hands in surrender, laughing. Then she took off her jacket, placed it down onto her desk, and grabbed Peeta's hand. "I believe we have a Christmas party to attend." 

They gathered on the dance floor, and Peeta showed off his best moves in his attempt to impress her. Katniss threw back her head with a laugh, goading him on. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and she felt truly at ease for once in her life. When "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" filtered out of the speakers, Katniss gasped. 

"This is my favorite Christmas song," she told him.

"Yeah?"

She nodded vigorously as he stepped up to her, placing his arms securely around her waist. She looked down as they became firmly anchored around her torso and then looked back up into eyes were that were as blue as a midwinter sky. She became submerged in those gentle pools, feeling like she was back in the lake where her father taught her how to swim as a child. Her stomach fluttered as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders, and when he pulled her closer to his body, she could feel heat resonating between them. She was right about his embrace, as solid and steady as his beating heart. Her own heart skipped a beat as he smiled at her, and they swayed gently to the music. 

"Can you sing it to me?" he requested, his face looking so hopeful.

"In front of all these people?" she teased.

"Just loud enough so I can hear your voice." 

She stood on her toes to place her lips against his ear, singing the lyrics and melody softly. Goosebumps littered Peeta's body, and he sighed happily as he clutched her tighter to him. This was his idea of heaven, having this beautiful girl with her olive complexion and piercing grey eyes wrapped so tightly in his arms; he never wanted to let go. 

When the song finally ended, Katniss told him she was going to get more drinks and food for them to munch on. As she stepped up to the refreshment table, she heard a familiar, "Hey." 

She groaned internally before turning to see Johanna Mason once again. Hadn't this girl had enough already? She already won the guy. What more could they possibly say to each other? 

Johanna nodded her head in the direction of the dance floor. "Who's the guy? He's pretty cute." 

Feeling territorial all of a sudden, she crossed her arms over her chest. "His name is Peeta. He helped cater this party. And no, you can't have his number." 

Johanna raised a curious eyebrow. "Who said anything about that? In case you missed it, I have a boyfriend." 

"Yeah, well, congratulations," Katniss said sarcastically before turning back to the table and making herself a plate. 

There was a moment of silence before Johanna spoke again. "Look, I know we're not exactly friends–"

"Understatement," Katniss muttered under her breath.

"And that's probably my fault. I never gave you a fair shake, and I'm sorry." 

Katniss turned her head around so quickly, she was surprised she didn't get whiplash. "What?" she frowned as she stared at the girl in front of her with doubt. This night was full of surprises. 

Johanna rolled her eyes and sighed. "I've never really been good at this whole friends-with-girls thing. And I guess I just saw you as my competition from the start. Which, I know is ridiculous because we don't even have the same job. But I figured you had a crush on Darius as well, so I immediately put up my guard and acted like, well, a bitch." 

Again, Katniss was at a loss for words. 

"But I see that you have your own thing going on with that Peeta guy, and honestly, as much as I love Darius, there's just certain things I can't talk to him about, you know? Girl stuff. So I was thinking maybe I could talk to you about those things since the options around here are pretty limited. We could grab some coffee sometime, or I don't know, whatever. But I promise to tone it down a little bit." 

When Johanna stuck her hand out and declared, "Truce?" Katniss stared at it suspiciously. She glanced back at Peeta, who was doing some ridiculous thing with his feet in an attempt to make Posy laugh.

"That guy's a baker, huh? Well, you know what they say about a guy that's good with his hands," Johanna piped up behind her. 

Katniss laughed out loud before turning back to Johanna and grasping her hand. "Truce," she agreed. 

When she wandered back to Peeta with their food and drink, he smiled at her, and she said, "The strangest thing just happened."

As he grabbed his cup from her, he asked, "Yeah, what's that?"

She shrugged. "There's more decent people in this world than you think."

"Do I even have to say it?" he smirked.

"If you do, I'm dumping this plate of food over your head." 

He just laughed and said, "Then my lips are sealed." 

When all of the guests filtered out of the offices of Abernathy and Co. at the end of the night, Katniss and Peeta began cleaning up the mess they left behind as well as sealing up the remaining food. Over their shoulders, they heard Haymitch's voice once again. 

"I can finish up here if you guys want to head on home. I know it's late." 

Katniss looked over her shoulder at him and said, "It's fine. We're almost done here." 

"Thank you for planning this party, Katniss." She smiled at the use of her name. "It was definitely the best one yet."

"It was my pleasure," she told him sincerely.

"Starting tonight, I want you to take the rest of the week off. Enjoy Christmas with your loved ones. But be ready when you return because there's a lot of work to be done." 

"I'm counting on it," she said.

"Peeta," he nodded toward him. "Katniss. Goodnight you two." He finished buttoning his overcoat, then grabbed his briefcase and walked over to the exit.

"Goodnight Haymitch!" they called in unison.

When his hand was on the door, he turned around and said, "One more thing. That young girl you brought with you tonight was very convincing, and our clients loved her. But she was as sick as you or I am. Sickle cell anemia," he pointed at Katniss. "Good one. Who was she really?" 

Katniss chuckled. "My best friend's little sister. The hospital was overrun when I went back, and I didn't know what else to do." 

"That was certainly some ingenuity, I'll give you that. Tell you what, give me the name of the little girl who was too sick to attend, and I'll write a check in the morning to pay for her medical bills." 

Smiling, Katniss said, "That's very kind of you, sir. Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart." 

When Peeta heard the last echo of Haymitch's footsteps, he said to Katniss, "Some party, huh?"

"It did turn out to be pretty awesome, actually."

"My favorite part was when you cussed out Haymitch. It reminded me of why I fell for you so long ago."

"Does that work?" Katniss asked as she wiped up the refreshments table with a sponge.

"Does what work?" 

"When you say things like that, does it get you the girls?" 

He smiled at the teasing grin on her face. "You tell me." 

"Maybe," she laughed. "I'll have to think about it." 

"And while you're thinking about that, you can think of your answer for when I ask you on a real date." 

"What does a real date entail?" 

He stepped up against her again, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "Dinner, a movie, maybe some ice-skating by the lake. I don't know. You can decide what you'd like to do." 

"Those things sound nice," she told him.

"So are you accepting my proposal?"

"The proposal you haven't officially asked yet?" 

Grinning, he said, "Katniss Everdeen, would you go on a date with me?" 

"Peeta Mellark," she grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket. "I'm still thinking about it," she said with a twinkle in her eye. Then suddenly, she piped up, "Oh, I forgot the plate of food I made for Prim. It's in the fridge. Be right back."

She skipped over to the break room, feeling giddy as a schoolgirl. As she grabbed the food, she turned on her heel and saw Peeta standing in the doorway. He was leaning against the door jamb, his arms tucked over his chest. And he looked exceptionally handsome in this lighting, almost as though he was glowing. She skipped back over to him, but he didn't budge when she was standing right in front of him.

"Are you just going to stand here and block my way?" 

Peeta's eyes trailed upward, and she followed his gaze until her own landed upon the mistletoe.

"According to tradition," he murmured, "we're supposed to kiss."

Her eyes lingered on the mistletoe for a moment until she was staring back into those blue, blue eyes. "I have to warn you. I've only ever kissed one person before, and I was pretty drunk when it happened. I might not be any good–" 

Before she could finish that thought, Peeta's hands were on her face, and his lips were gently grazing her own. She was right; they were so very soft against hers. He tasted like sugar from nibbling on Christmas cookies, and he smelled like freshly baked bread. It was a delicious combination, and Katniss lost herself in his sweet caress. When he finally pulled back to look at her, her eyes were closed; she touched her lips with her fingertips as though trying to savor the feeling of him there. 

"How was that?" he asked.

She slowly opened her eyes, which were clouded over with an emotion he couldn't quite explain but felt in his gut. "That was…" She licked her lips. "That was okay."

"Just okay?" he asked with mock indignation.

"Well, I just think we can do it better." 

Peeta laughed. "You do, do you?" 

"Mmhmm," she breathed as she stood on her tip toes once more, her hands fisting in his curls. Then she brought his lips down to hers, sighing at how good he tasted. She angled her face, deepening the pressure, and when his lips parted slightly, her tongue sought the hollow of his mouth. His tongue found her own, and their mouths became entwined in a slow dance. 

Peeta Mellark had dreamed of this moment since he was a little boy, but the reality of it was even better than anything his mind could have imagined. She felt so perfect swallowed in his arms, and she tasted even better, like Christmas itself. It was his ultimate wish, and now it was actually real.

As they continued to kiss beneath the mistletoe, Katniss felt a strange warmth tingling in her chest, and soon it was spreading to every part of her, even her fingertips and toes. _This is how it’s supposed to feel when the right guy kisses you_ , she thought. Her insides were on fire, and she just couldn't get enough. When Peeta finally pulled away to take a breath, he rested his forehead against hers with a happy sigh. 

"Best Christmas ever," Katniss smiled. 

"Agreed," he responded. He waited a beat and then asked, "So who were you hoping to kiss tonight?" 

"Nobody important," she dismissed before reveling in his lips again. 

Peeta walked Katniss to her car, and they agreed to flush out the details of their date before kissing each other one last time. When he was out of sight, Katniss took a deep breath and turned on the radio, humming along to some Christmas tune that was playing. 

Instead of heading back to her apartment, she found herself parked in front of her old home. She stared at it for a moment, watching the shimmering lights that Prim must have strung along the front door. Finally, she hopped out of the car with the leftover food she'd brought for her sister. She knocked on the door, and a moment later, she was greeted by a pair of blue eyes that looked just like her sister's.

"Katniss," Mrs. Everdeen gasped. "What are you doing here?" 

"Hi Mom," she said quietly. "I brought some food from the company Christmas party for Prim." 

"Oh, I see." She stepped aside to let Katniss in. "Well, she's in her room reading." 

Katniss nodded before walking toward Prim's room. But then she stopped and turned on her heel. Her mother looked at her with that same expression she always wore, sorrow. She wished she had been there for her when Katniss had really needed her. There were so many words left unspoken between them, and Mrs. Everdeen didn't even know where to begin to start repairing the damage. But she assumed it was too late to win back the affection of her eldest daughter anyway. 

As Katniss stared at her mother, she thought about the night she had, how it had gone from disastrous to wonderful in only the course of a few hours. And then she thought of Haymitch Abernathy, the man who had made her life a living hell for the last year. If she could forgive him for all of his awful behavior, surely she could forgive the woman who gave birth to her. After all, it was Christmas. And Christmas was the time to spend with the ones you loved. 

"My boss gave me the week off. And I was wondering, would it be okay if I came over on Christmas day? Maybe we could share a meal together." 

Mrs. Everdeen smiled with relief. "I would like that."

"Me too." 

When Prim saw Katniss enter her room, she jumped up with excitement. "Katniss!" Then she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Katniss squeezed her sister firmly. Prim was taller than her already, and she suspected she might still grow a bit. But to Katniss, she would always be that little girl with the big blue eyes that looked at her like she hung the moon. 

"I brought you some food from the party," Katniss told her. 

"Oh! How did it go? I'm sorry I couldn't help you earlier." 

"You had much more important things to deal with, Prim. Don't worry about it. I found exactly what I needed." 

"Good," Prim grinned as she took a bite of one of the cheese buns Katniss had brought her. "Are these from the Mellark bakery?" 

"Yeah, they catered for us. Aren't they delicious?" 

Prim bobbed her head as she swallowed. "Peeta makes the best cheese buns." 

Katniss lilted an eyebrow at her. "You know him?"

"Of course. I go in there all the time. Did you know he decorates the cakes as well?" 

Shaking her head, Katniss said, "No, but I do now."

"So did you get anybody to kiss you under the mistletoe?" Prim asked with a knowing smile.

Katniss could feel her cheeks flush at Prim's question, thinking of the boy who tasted like sugar and smelled like bread. "Yeah, I did." 

"He must be on cloud nine right now."

"Who must be?"

"Peeta, of course." Her eyes twinkled, and Katniss' mouth hung open in shock.

"How did you know it was Peeta?"

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Katniss. I know some things." 

Staring at her in disbelief, Katniss asked, "Did you guys plan this or something? Is that why you told me to get the mistletoe?"

"A lady never reveals her secrets," Prim said as she bit into a Christmas cookie. 

Katniss chuckled at her response before hugging her sister again. "I always knew you were smarter than me." 

"Not smarter," Prim disagreed. "I just see things a little more clearly."

"Thank you, Prim," Katniss told her sister. "That was the best gift you could have given me." 

"Merry Christmas, Katniss."

"Merry Christmas, Prim."

 


End file.
